Process and apparatus for producing a laminated strip of a metal foil and a plastic film

Abstract

A process and apparatus for producing a laminate containing a metal foil strip and a plastic film strip, in which the two strips have stamped structures repeated at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the strips and are disposed at contiguous points in the laminate, a pre-stamped strip and the second strip being continuously joined together from one end. To laminate stamped plastic film tape together with a pre-stamped metal foil tape, with the least possible complexity, so that any mismatch between the stamped structures of the two tapes is as small as possible, after the strips have been merged, the position of position markings for the stamped structures in the second strip and on the pre-stamped strip are successively scanned and, once a predetermined position of the position markings has been reached, a stamped structure is introduced into that region of the second strip situated in front of the site of the joining together, at a distance from the predetermined position corresponding to an integral multiple of the interval at which the stamped structures of the pre-stamped metal strip are repeated.

We claim: 
     
       1. A process for producing a laminate comprising a metal foil strip and a plastic film strip, in which each of the two strips has longitudinally spaced stamped structures which are repeated at regular intervals along the length thereof and wherein the stamped structures are disposed at contiguous points in the laminate, which process comprises the steps of: (a) feeding a first one of said two strips in a feeding direction, said first strip having said stamped structures therein and further provided with spaced position markings each corresponding to one, or a transversely extending row, of said stamped structures;   (b) feeding a second one of said two strips in said direction, said second strip having spaced position markings at positions corresponding to at least some of said position markings on said first strip;   (c) merging the first strip and the second strip together so that one is on top of the other;   (d) feeding the merged strips to a scanning apparatus to scan the position markings on the first and second strips one on top of another and place the position markings in coincidence;   (e) with the merged strips having the position markings in coincidence, and prior to the merging of the second strip with the first strip, stamping the second strip with a stamping tool to provide stamped structures therein that are longitudinally spaced at intervals along the length thereof corresponding to those of the spaced structure of the first strip, said stamping tool being located in front of the scanning apparatus at a distance which is an integral multiple of the intervals of the stamped structures.   
     
     
       2. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first strip is made of metal foil and the second strip is made of plastic film. 
     
     
       3. The process as claimed in claim 2, wherein the position markings of the plastic strip are provided in the strip by the stamping tool. 
     
     
       4. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strips are bonded together to form the laminate following passage of the merged strips through the scanning apparatus. 
     
     
       5. The process as claimed in claim 4, wherein the strips, are first affixed together with a plurality of small-area bonding points and then bonded together over a larger area. 
     
     
       6. The process as claimed in claim 2, wherein the position markings of the stamped structures of the metal strip are circular and are scanned and compared with the position of similar circular position markings that have been introduced into the plastic strip prior to the merging of the strips, the arrangement of the circular position markings on the plastic strip corresponding to the arrangement of the circular position markings of the stamped structures on the metal strip. 
     
     
       7. The process as claimed in claim 6, wherein the scanning is effected by means of a spike. 
     
     
       8. The process as claimed in claim 7, wherein the shape of the spike is matched to the shape of the circular position markings.